A few thoughts;
while I'm happy to reject pay offer and vote for industrial action, I see no reason why that would ever become a strike. Letting the present AAVA agreement lapse (in the autumn?) would have a massive effect on the company. All projects would have to be put on hold -iFACTS, EFD, Olympics, etc.
A training ban would be hugely damaging too, especially with the olympics looming.
By threatening to let the present AAVA agreement lapse we already have management over a barrel.
Remember the last pay round? Every month we were emailed figures showing the decline in traffic, how the recession was affecting us centre by centre, airfield by airfield. All that doom and gloom preceded the financial report showing record profits, several millions in management bonuses and a huge dividend.
Why are the traffic levels no longer freely available?
Why do our senior management have other European ANSP's traffic growth figures at their fingertips but can't give NATS traffic figures when quizzed at a recent presentation?
I only hope a deal isn't rushed through and voted on before the annual report is published in June again.